I like to burn some Ylang Ylang oil actually, along with using the "painkiller" accupressure point, which is located between the thumb and fore-finger. All you have to do to activate this point is gently press it with your fingers untill you feel a little pain in it. Over time the pressing wont hurt as much, but it sure relieves any bodily pain - including cramps!

white_harmony wrote: All you have to do to activate this point is gently press it with your fingers untill you feel a little pain in it. Over time the pressing wont hurt as much, but it sure relieves any bodily pain - including cramps!

crap, i could have used that yesterday.

oh well, now i know.

...'tis most evident and plain that simple Nature is the most harmless, inoffensive, and virtuous mistress. 'Tis she alone, if she were permitted, that better instructs the world than all the inventions of Man. --Aphra Behn, <u>Oroonoko</u>

this isn't really a ritual and I have no idea the purpose behind it but....

I heard/read somewhere that you are actually more powerful when your on your period. Even tho I know this sounds weird since most of us feel really bad during this time (like me right now ha ha, im really tired and sore)

I also heard or read somewhere that going outside (preferable on a full moon) and sitting on the ground to give your blood to the Earth/Goddess.

Anyone have any idea what this would be used for? It sounds gross to me.

I have heard that you're at your most powerful as a witch when you're on your period. It goes back to the Ice Age Earth Mother faiths, I believe. They associated it with the "Mother's Life Force", the power that made women able to give birth. Sitting on the ground to give it back to the Earth is part of the whole thing...it came from teh Earth Mother, and returning it to her is showing appriciation for the power granted by her.

I'm theorizing here. I haven't really studied the Ice Age Earth Mother thing much more than reading a few books that are set in that time. The author did some SERIOUS research for it, though, so I'm sure some of this makes sense.

So, since we're on the subject, how many of you are in sync with the moon cycle? I tend to fall within a 5 day time frame with the full moon being in the middle of that. What's really odd is that I will "shift" cycle once every 8 to 10 months and it will fall in a 5 day time frame with the new moon being in the middle of that time, then, 8 to 10 months later, it's back to the full moon...

I've also read a couple of scientific/medical studies where they proved that women who work closely together (like in an office setting where they all tend to congregrate together in a smaller area) all end up on a similar cycle. A new woman joining the group will adapt her cycle to the rest of the women within 6 months. They think it has something to do with phermones and they think that it happens as a throw back to our more "animal" ways. In other words, if all the women are on a similar cycle then they will all get pregnant at similar times. When the babies are born then there will be multiple women lactating and able to share care responsibilities, especially if something would befall one of the mothers, then another one could take on the care of that baby.

As for any personal "rituals" I tend to fanatically crave red meat - something which I rarely eat - and sweets. Since red meat will make me sick I usually stick with the sweets and iron rich vegies. I must say though, that on the odd occassion that I do grill up a nice, fat juicy rare steak, the pleasure of eating it far outweighs the bad effects, yup, I'm a carnivore at heart - just my darn allergies keep me from it LOL. Other than that my ritual is just to be generally miserable and grumpy

my menstrual cycle is so ridiculously out of whack that it doesn't really sync with anything (though being at college has kind of made it better, namely because there's less crap food for me to eat).

when i was younger, though, it was pretty regular and would always fall right when my mom's came around, or just around it--so there's that pheremone thing again.

can't say i get any weird cravings. i get mad crampage, though, the first day. it sucks.

edit: more babies are born on a full moon than other phases, though.

...'tis most evident and plain that simple Nature is the most harmless, inoffensive, and virtuous mistress. 'Tis she alone, if she were permitted, that better instructs the world than all the inventions of Man. --Aphra Behn, <u>Oroonoko</u>

There are a few herbs that can help the cramping...though offhand, I don't know any of them besides Lavender, but that helps ALL pain; and Black Pepper which helps muscle aches. I think Motherwart made into a tea helps, but I'm not sure...since my herbal studies haven't gone into teas and infusions yet...because I do message oils and soaps. We have a woman's muscle ache oil that I occasionally use when my backache gets bad. Soothing Rain is the name.

I've experienced the cycle sync with my two female roomies and our friend down the street. the friend was usually 2 days off.

I've never paid attention to my cycle and the moon's cycle...maybe I ought to.

Stormy wrote:
"I've also read a couple of scientific/medical studies where they proved that women who work closely together (like in an office setting where they all tend to congregrate together in a smaller area) all end up on a similar cycle. A new woman joining the group will adapt her cycle to the rest of the women within 6 months."

Its true.... although I do feel sorry for the guys in our flat, when there are four girls all suffering from PMT at the same time

In one of my old housing arrangements, I was the only female amongst 3 males ... they tended to keep away from me during my cycle. Pretty hiilarious actually!! lol

Also, it really is true about women who are close together will end up on a similar cycle ... a large group of girls I went to high school with, we were all around the same time as well. I think its amazing that the female body can do this. At least we all know that when we need the support during our PMT or just to have a whinge to others, we're not the only ones going through it! lol

Stormy, that's crazy, I thought I was the only weirdo that craves red meat on her period! When I was young and just getting used to the whole "period thing" I'd crave it sooo bad, it was almost like a need, very strange...anyway, sometimes I get the meat craving still, but most of the time it's just chocolate. Speaking of chocolate...::runs to kitchen for a brownie::